Alexandre Pantoja offered huge title fight by ex-UFC star, training partner: ‘I can beat you up anytime’
Undisputed flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja may have failed in his bid to entice Demetrious Johnson from his recent retirement after his stunning UFC 310 win this month, however, a man who prepared him for that defense has suggested the duo face off next — in the form of Octagon veteran, Kyoji Horiguchi.
Pantoja, the current undisputed flyweight champion, made a short-notice headlining return at UFC 310 earlier this month, capping off the promotion’s flagship schedule for the year in a grudge fight with the debuting former Rizin FF kingpin, Kai Asakura.
And stopping the Japanese contender with relative ease in the second round, Alexandre Pantoja would lock up a nasty, quickfire rear-naked choke on Octagon newcomer, Asakura — successfully defending his 125lbs championship for the third time to boot.
Issuing an open challenge to former undisputed flyweight champion, Johnson in the immediate aftermath of his win over Asakura in ‘Sin City’, Brazilian star, Pantoja was knocked back by the recently-retired Kentucky native, who claimed he was happy with his decision to hang up his gloves.
Kyoji Horiguchi open to title charge against teammate, Alexandre Pantoja
And yet to be booked for his next outing following his most recent win, Alexandre Pantoja — who was helped in training camp by UFC and Bellator MMA veteran, Horiguchi for his pairing with compatriot, Asakura, has been identified as a potential opponent, who is weighing up his own blockbuster return to the Octagon.
“It was my decision [to leave the UFC], I made this decision, so I have no regrets,” Kyoji Horiguchi told MMA Fighting through a translator. “But I do have the feeling of wanting to making another challenge in the UFC.”
“We [me and Alexandre Pantoja] kind of talk about it in the gym,” Horiguchi said. “We joke around and I tell them that I can beat you up anytime, I’ll beat you up and stuff like that. You know, we kind of joke around. But you know, if it’s a title fight, I think the gym would have to accept it. It is what it is and it’s what we do. If it happens, I think we could make it happen.”
A former title challenger during his tenure with the UFC, Horiguchi would drop a last-second armbar submission loss to Johnson back in 2015, however, has scooped titles in both Bellator MMA and Rizin FF, racking up wins along the way over the likes of Ali Bagautinov, Ian McCall, Manel Kape, Hiromasa Ougikubo, Darrion Caldwell, Sergio Pettis, and the above-mentioned, Asakura.
